Aseptic cup.



J. J. SHEA.

ASEPTIG CUP.

APPLIGATLON FILED JUNE 11, 1910.

1,018,01 3. Patented Feb. 20, 1912.

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JOHN J. SHEA, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. SHEA, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have .invented new and useful Improvements in' Aseptic Cups, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to aseptic or prophylactic paper drinking cups for individual use at public drinking places, such as railroad depots,-cars, public fountains, etc.

There are two requisites which n'iustbe possessed by cups of the general character described to adapt them for use in vending machines. First, they must-be adapted for close packing, preferably nesting, so that a comparatively large number may be contaiiied within the necessarily smallspace provided for the storing of the cups within the machine; and second, they-must be so constructed as to insure their ready selection and separation by appropriate mecha- \nism one by one from the nested column or stack.

It is the object of my invention to provide an aseptic cup which shall possess the requisite adaptability for nesting and for ready selection and separation by appropriate mechanism one by one from the column or stack.

A machinefor vending the aseptic cups described and claimed herein is made the subject matter of a separate application for patent filed by me June 11, 1910, serial No.

' 566,317, and for a full description of such machine reference is made to said application. I have, however, for the purpose of clearly describing and illustrating the present invention, shown in Fig. 3 of'the accompanying drawings so much of file cupvending machine as is essential to a full. understanding of the adaptability of-my-improved cup for use, in said machine.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate an embodiment of my invention," Figure l is a perspective view of my improved cup; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; and Fig.3 is a sectional view, partly in elevation, of the container and feeding mechanism of a cup-vending machine, a column of nested cups ben shown in dotted lines Within the container.

A is the body of the cup which is made of parafiined paper of tapering form to permit the nesting of a plurality of similar cups. About the rim of the body there is Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20', rate.

Application filed June 11, 1910. Serial No. 566,318.

secured in any suitable manner a band It. Said band is preferably made of relatively stiff card board and the blank of which it is made is a strip of curved form so thatwhen secured to the rim of the body it has the tapering or conical form of the latter. Nevertheless, the taper is so slight and the relative thickness of the body and band are such that the external circumference of the band at its lower edge 6 is'greater than the the cups is absolutely insured by the fact formed the lower edge 6 of the band B rests against the upper edge of the cup next- ,that when the cups are nested the shoulder below it the bands thus constituting spacers for the several cups in' the nested column or stack, thus preventing all possibility of the sticking or binding of the cups by reason of too close nesting, or by reason of the softening of tightly packed parafiined surfaces by excessive heat or other causes. Furthermore, in order to be successfully used in acup vending machine the cups must be not only loosely nested to insure their removal one by one from the machine, but there must also'be means to guide the cups and to feed them one by one to the delivery opening. For thispurpose I provide my improved. cup with a guide tab C, which is in a substantially vertical plane, and preferably formed integral with the band B by securing the free ends thereof together throughout substantially their entire length. The lower edge of the guide tab C is cut away as by a notch D so that when a plurality of similar cups are nested there is a clearance between the adjacent guide tabs.

Referring now to Fig. 3, E is a container adapted to hold a column oi nested cups of the construction above described and provided with a groove 6 in which the guide tabs C loosely fit. F is a star wheel the spurs of which project into the gropve 0 through the opening 6 and engage the cups is supported by said star Wheel.

mel position ,so that the star Wheel F and locks notches D in the guide tabs 0. G is e spring pawl provided with a cam surface g and timing on its'undez: side a lug g which gages the star Wheel F and locks the against rotation so that the column of nest-ed H (is spring arm secured by a post I to a, suitehie actuator (not shown). v

The operation of the machine is as follows: When the actuator is depressed the nose of the spring arm H travels slung the cam surface 9 of the pawl G lifting seifi nose clear of the spurs of the star wheel F and When said nose has passed below said star Wheel, slips from said cam surface so that at the finish of said downward move ment of'said actuator the nose ofsaicl. spring arm H rests against the face of said pawl Upon the upward movement oi the actuator the spring arm H passes over the face of said pawl G and presses it back so that the lug g slips off the star wheel thus unlocking it. Continued upwercimovement of the actuator causes the nose of said spring arm to rotate said star wheel a- (lista-nce of one spur and then to slip from said pawl per mitting said pawl to spring back into norlug g engages the it against rotation. By reason of the engagement of the spurs of the star Wheel F with the notches D of the guide tabs C, this rotation of the star Wheel feeds the column of cups forward e distance of one spur and'etlvances the, hot

FflOf-Il the container.

.teperefl hotly anti. o bend seen tom cup of the solemn. so that it n readily Withdrawn by suitable mesh? or it more full eml ii-etei of seitl. cup vending machine aforesaid application for patent The above brief description Wlii, l believe, make sufiiciently clear the adaptability of my improved. cup for use therein.

it claim: r

A paper drinking comprising :1

rim thereof the external e ar the hand at its lower edge being greater :1. the internal. circumference oi the mouth of the cup Wherehy when a plurality of similar? cups are steclteol in nested relation the shoulder formed by the lower etlge ofeeoh henci will rest on the upper edge of the sup next below'it, the bends thus constituting spacers for the several cups in the stack, and e'guicle fast to said. bend in a sub-- stantielly vertical plane, said tel) being out away on one edge whereby when a plm'ulity oi": siiniler cups are stacked in nested rele tion there is e clearance between the cent guide tabs,

, Sighecl by me at Boston, this sixth day of June 1910 etlj s n Witnesses CHARLES E. Wooneeser JOSEPHINE H at o 

